Boiler structure



March 29,1927. 1,622,947

T. F. Hf-\RTY BOILER STRUCTURE Filed ct. 24. 1924 /l/l/l/l/l/Al Patented Mar. 29, 1927.

UNITED -smms THOMAS F. HARTY," OF ROSEBANK, NEW"'Y0RK.

. BOILER) STRUGTURE.

.unpplication .filed toctober. 24;- '1924.. Serial No "745,629.

construction of the outer. or false sheets proa vided with hand-holes. :iIl. connection. with :which the hand-hole covers. are used.

. In: Water tube boilers of certaintypes an particularly those designed 1f0r-marine servmice, it -is-,-the,-, ener.alpractice. to, provide the outer or fal vmijacent tube sheet, so; as to permit-access .closed-inservice by aremovable cover. :In

alar-ge .mari-ne boilers there are often several thousand of these tubes mounted an atubes isheet, withvacorrespondingnumber of-handthese covers tromatheinside of the false sheet in; order to secure alealoproofclosure of the hand-hole. The handi-holes being-too small f-t'or the insertion. of the covers through the same, special openings for the insertion and removal of thah and-hole covers are; generally provided in the false sheet above-and below the :line of: the tubes, ithe covers being fastby, to-bringthemin position for application,

' a-similar expedientbeing-necessary fortheir removal. other the covers are properly brought into 1 position. diflicultyvis encountered in properly centering them and fastening them in; position. 'As leakage of the boiler tubes frequently occurs, and: as the tubes mustbe flushed and cleansed of: deposits atimore or less: frequent .intervals the qened tostringsandraised andloweredvthereoperation: of removingand "reapplying. the I A labor vrequired in. the operations .referredwto Wlll be reduced tOtllBJIliIllIn um.

A further object of. the .invientionis to ,rprovi-de a construction and arran'gem'ent of tubes and the hand-holesaandcover plates, .asuwellsas the tie-(rodsconnecting. the'tube sheets, may .1383 disposed, .to. the greatest. ad

vantage to' reduce time. andtlaborflin the con- .struction,assemblage,;asuwell as repairs,= reseasheet with. a hand-hole in llnewlth the end of each wateratube 1nthe placement. or'cleanage I ot-v thet-boiler .parts. 1 A still furtherobjectof the invention-is to: provide a construction lIl-WlllCll the hand holesmare-sorelated with respectto each other as to admit of' one hand oi the .operator being :inserted through one hand-hole .to beanupon andhold a cover platein position for application to'cover another hole -Wl1ll6 the 'other hand' otthe operator isbe- 201 holes, each closed by an individual cover,.- in the falsesheet, and itis necessaryto PPly mg -employed to apply. the bridge piece and fastening nut, thereby vfacili-tatingand rendering easierthe operation of applying-Ea cover-plate and also removing it .Whenever :required.

; "With these and other" objects .in uiew the invention consists of the-features-of construction, combination and arran-gement of parts, hereinafter fully-described "and claimed, "reference being bad to the accompanyingd-rawing,-.in whieh:--

Figure 12 is a vertical longitudinal sectionrithrough a: portion of oneend =ofa boiler equipped with. my invention, showing one of therhand-holesvand its closure.

- EigureQ is a viewnlooking .towardathe the. described parts whereby the; groups. of

outside of thefalse sheet,-With partsin-elevation and; other parts-broken away-to. show the -.eonstruotion and arrangement of the tubes: and "closures, this View 1 alsoshowing in perspective one of the-.coveryplates.in the position in which it is disposed forinsertion or removal through .its 'handshole.

Referring .now mores-particularly 'toithe drawing, 1 designates oneof the tube sheets 0t a boiler,-intwhich are fittedthe adjacent tends ofthe water tubes'Q; 2 and? andQ', 2 and 2* arranged in staggered triangular groups, as hereinatterdescribed, and des- -ignatestan outeror false-sheetarrangedin spaced relation-to the. tuber-sheet to. provide the interveningwater-space or leg 4. 5'designates the tie rods which connect the tube sheet 1 to the companion tube sheet (not shown) at the opposite end of the boiler.

In carrying my invention into practice, I provide the false sheet 3 with hand-holes 6 each of a form for exposing a plurality of tubes 2. This hand-hole 6 is of trifoliate or substantially triangular form, or of a contour providing three lobes 6 of partially circular contour, the walls of which are joined by interconnecting convex portions 6 giving the described conformation to the hand-hole as a whole. The corner portions or lobes of each of these substantially triangular or trifoliate-shaped hand-holes are arranged in alinement with the ends of a group of three tubes, allowing any of them to be inserted or removed through such hand-hole or reached for flushing or other cleansing operations.

A closure 7 is provided for each handhole 6, each closure comprising a plate of a form similar to the hand-hole but of somewhat larger superficial dimensions. The plate 7 is designed to fit within the inner portion of the hand-hole and is provided with a marginal flange S to bear against the inner surface of the sheet 3 and form a leak-proof joint. If desired, packing of any suitable type may be used in conjunction with the flange 8 for this purpose. The plate 7 has extending from its outer face a stud bolt 9, designed to project to the exterior of the sheet 3 through an opening 10 in a bridge piece 11 and to have applied thereto a securing and clamping nut 12. The bridge piece 11 shown in the present instance comprises a plate adapted to lit upon the outer side of the sheet 3 and close the outer portion of the hand-hole 6. This plate is of the same shape as the handhole and plate 7 and, like the plate 7, of somewhat greater superficial dimensions than the hand-hole. It is provided with an inwardly projecting marginal flange 13 to bear against the outer side of the sheet 3 about the hand-hole 6 and at each of its lobes or corner portions is formed or provided with indicator lugs or projections 1e adapted to fit within the corner portions of the opening 6 to properly center the plate 11 in position and, by frictional engagement with the walls of the opening, to hold said bridge piece from any tendency to turn or rotate. Packing may also be used in conjunction with the fiange 13, if desired, to seal the oint between the same and the sheet 3 and to further assist in making the closure absolutely leak-proof. While the use of a bridge plate of this type is preferred, the invention is not limited in practice thereto, as any ordinary form of spider, crab, or other type of bridge piece in common use may be employed in lieu thereof.

The tubes 2 and their tube holes are not only arranged in triangular groups as shown and specified, but a novel and very desirable staggered arrangement of the triangular groups with relation to each other, and of the tubes and tube holes of which they are formed, is provided, in order that the grouping may be such as to allow the hand-holes to be formed very close together without undesirably weakening the outer sheet and to so place the hand-holes and their cover plates that any cover plate may be applied or removed without interference from any other cover plate or plates, and further in order that the tie-rod receiving holes in the inner sheet 1 may be arranged to give a most efiicient bracing action while at the same time permitting the tube and tie-rod receiving holes to be punched in the sheet 1 to the best advantage and without disposing the holes so close together as to weaken the sheet. As shown, the tube and tie-rod receiving holes are formed in horizontal rows, each row forming a working pair, the working pairs of rows being repeated throughout the required area of the surface of the sheet. .lLs regards each wor ing pair of rows, one row of each pair consists of tube receiving holes only, spaced equidistantly apart from center to center, while the other and coacting row of each pair consists of tube receiving holes and tie-rod receiving holes alternating with each other and also spaced equidistantly apart from center to center and staggered with relation to the holes in the first-named row. Each triangular group of tube receiv ing holes as formed by these rows consists of two adjacent holes in the firstnamed row and a single hole in the other row which lies in a vertical plane between the vertical planes of the pair of tubes mentioned. By this construction and arrangement of the tube holes and tie-rod openings in the sheets, the sheets may be punched to the best ad vantage, without unduly weakening them, and the tie-rods 5 may be connected with the tube sheets on lines between adjacent groups of tubes, in which positions such rods are adapted to perform their proper bracing function without interfering with any service operations which may have to be performed.

The shape of each hand-hole 6 and its cover plate 7 is such that by grasping the stud bolt 9 as a handle and disposing the plate 7 edgewise at an angle across the portion of greatest width or diameter of the hand-hole, as shown for example in Figure 2. the plate 7 may be readily and conveniently manipulated and passed through the handhole in either direction for application and removal and while it is being securely held against any possibility of dropping inside the water space or leg 4;. Owing to this case of application or removal of the plate 7, and as a result of but a single hand-hole and agea'ageav ates required to be '---or' wheriever flushin or other cleansin of the'tubes is requiredis'reduced to the minimum, withamate'rial savingof time,-labor and expense; 'In addition, much greater convenience isaflorded-through the readyaccessibility to the tubes thus gained, allowin all necessary work to be performed with a further saving of time, labor and expense It will be evident from the foregoing that the hand-holes 6 are in practice of comparatively large size and the hand-holes of the same and adjacent rows are arranged in close relationship. This allows the operator to insert his hand through one hand-hole to bear upon a cover-plate being applied to an adjacent hand-hole, so that said cover-plate may be held in position by one hand of the operator from displacement while the other hand of the operator is being employed to apply the bridge piece and clamp nut, great convenience being thus aiiorded in applying the cover plates in a ready and expeditious manner and without liability of the plates becoming displaced and falling into the Water space or leg a. This convenience is also afforded in removing the cover-plates for exposure of the tubes, as will be readily understood.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim 1. In a boiler structure, the combination of an inner tube sheet having tube receiving openings and tubes fitted therein, said openings being arranged in horizontal rows and in groups of three openings to each group disposed in triangular formation, each triangular group comprising two adjacent openings of a horizontal row and a single opening of a next adjacent horizontal row, said single opening being arranged in a vertical plane lying between the companion pair of openings of the same group, and the group forming openings of each two cooperating horizontal rows of openings being staggered with relation to the group fonning openings of similar adjacent rows of openings overlying or underlying the same, an outer sheet having handholes, one for each group of tubes in the inner sheet, and arranged in alinement therewith, each handhole being of trifoliate-form and having the outer walls of its lobes curved on arcs concentric. with the center of the hand-hole, and coincident with the said common center, of the alined group of tubes, said walls of the lobes substantially conforming to the curvature of the halves of the walls of the tubes most remote from their common center and lying in alinement therewith and at intervening points extending inwardly on lines coincident with the spaces between adjacent relatively inner sides of the tubes. a cover plate for Feach 'hand -hole" of trifoliate form corresponding thereto,

andmeans for fastening said cover plate in position.

2. In a boiler structure, the combination of an inner tube sheet having tube receiving openings and tubes fitted therein;saidopenings being arranged in horizontal rows and in groups of three openings to each group disposed in triangular formation and equidistantly from a common center and each group consisting of two openings of one horizontal row and a single opening of an adjacent horizontal row, the group forming openings of each two cooperating horizontal rows of openings being staggered with relation to the group forming openings of similar adjacent rows of openings overlying or underlying the same, and the said inner sheet being provided with tie-rod 7 receiving openings arranged between and in alternation with the tube receiving openings in the second-named row of each pair of horizontal group-forming rows, an outer sheet having hand-holes, one for each group of tubes, and arranged in alinement therewith, each hand-hole being of trifoliate form and having the outer walls of its lobes curved on arcs concentric with the center of the hand-hole and the said common center of the alined group of tubes, said walls of the lobes substantially conforming to the curvature of the halves of the walls of the tubes most remote from their common center and lying in alinement therewith and at intervening points being concavely curved inwardly and lying on lines coincident with the spaces between adjacent relatively inner sides of the tubes and away from the adjacent side of a tie-bolt hole lying between said group and an adjacent group, a cover-plate for each hand-hole of a trifoliate form corresponding thereto, and means for fastening said cover-plate in position.

3. In a boiler structure, the combination of an inner tube sheet having tube receiving openings and tubes fitted therein, said openings being arranged in horizontal rows and in groups of three openings to each group disposed in triangular formation, each triangular group comprising two adjacent openings of a horizontal row and a single opening of a next adjacent horizontal row, said single opening being arranged in a vertical plane lying between the comp-anion pair of openings of the same group, and said sheet being provided with tie rod receiving openings arranged in pairs, one on each side of each single opening of a group and between the same and the single openings of adjacent groups on opposite sides thereof, an outer sheet having hand-holes, one for each group oftubes in the inner sheet, and arranged in alinement therewith, each handhole being of trifoliate-form and having the outer Walls of its lobes curved on arcs concentric with the center of the hand-hole and coincident with the said common center of the alined group of tubes, said walls of the lobes substantially conforming to the curvature of the halves of the walls of the tubes most remote from their common center and lying in alinement therewith and at in- THOMAS F. HARTY. 

